A review by asroka
Championess by Tarun Shanker, Kelly Zekas
4.0
I received an arc of this.
Summary:
Elizabeth Wilkinson learned how to fight while growing up, and now she's fighting to survive. Her sister Tess has narrowly been avoiding being jailed in debtor's prison, and Lizzie is hoping that her fights will help pay off the debts- once and for all. She is determined not to settle, and approaches the renowned Mr. Figg to prove herself and seek training. Reluctantly, the renowned Mr. Figg agrees to a one-time deal. But what beyond that? With help from her trainer Stokes, Elizabeth grapples with her past, throws punches at her present, and eventually unravels the future for herself.
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Remarks on context:
I was drawn to this book as an 18th century reenactor/costumer, so I am critical of some of the 18th century details. First, there were some great costuming details and others that weren't so great. Some pictures of shoes, caps, and gowns were on point, but things like Elizabeth's jacket didn't seem necessarily correct, which admittedly bothered me as a costumer. Furthermore, the modern language/cursing often bothered me. Cursing doesn't bother me, however, in the historical context, the modern language/cursing/slang (I think there was an instance of "go shove it...") really brought me out of the 18th century setting and pulled me out of the novel. I would have loved more historical insults to keep in line with the overall mood and setting of the book.
Summary:
Elizabeth Wilkinson learned how to fight while growing up, and now she's fighting to survive. Her sister Tess has narrowly been avoiding being jailed in debtor's prison, and Lizzie is hoping that her fights will help pay off the debts- once and for all. She is determined not to settle, and approaches the renowned Mr. Figg to prove herself and seek training. Reluctantly, the renowned Mr. Figg agrees to a one-time deal. But what beyond that? With help from her trainer Stokes, Elizabeth grapples with her past, throws punches at her present, and eventually unravels the future for herself.
------
Remarks on context:
I was drawn to this book as an 18th century reenactor/costumer, so I am critical of some of the 18th century details. First, there were some great costuming details and others that weren't so great. Some pictures of shoes, caps, and gowns were on point, but things like Elizabeth's jacket didn't seem necessarily correct, which admittedly bothered me as a costumer. Furthermore, the modern language/cursing often bothered me. Cursing doesn't bother me, however, in the historical context, the modern language/cursing/slang (I think there was an instance of "go shove it...") really brought me out of the 18th century setting and pulled me out of the novel. I would have loved more historical insults to keep in line with the overall mood and setting of the book.